JP2013251138A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a push-push type ejection mechanism which achieves easier assembly.SOLUTION: A base member 120 includes a restriction part 146 configured to restrict separation of an ejection member 150 from the base member 120 in a Z direction when the ejection member 150 is in an ejection position. Under the restriction by the restriction part 146, the ejection member 150 is temporarily held on the base member 120 even before a cover shell 180 is incorporated into the base member 120, and even when the ejection member 150 is being pressed against the ejection position by a press member 170.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector connected to a card such as a microSIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, and more particularly to a connector having a push-push type ejection mechanism.

  As a connector provided with a push-push type discharging mechanism, there are connectors disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the connector of Patent Document 1 and the connector of Patent Document 2 are both a base member, a cover shell that forms a receiving portion for receiving a card together with the base member, and a card. And an ejecting member for ejecting the ejecting member and a pressing member (spring) for pressing the ejecting member toward the ejecting position.

JP 2012-28337 A JP 2009-289699 A

  In the assembly process of the connector of Patent Document 1 and the connector of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to attach the cover shell to the base member while suppressing the eject member so that the eject member pressed by the pressing member does not come off from the base member. It was hard to say that it was easy to assemble.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a push-push type discharging mechanism as described above, which can be easily assembled.

The present invention provides the first connector as
A base member;
A contact held by the base member;
An eject member supported by the base member so as to be movable between a discharge position and a receiving position along a first direction;
A pressing member that presses the eject member toward the discharge position in the first direction;
The card is received through an opening which is combined with the base member and has a length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a short side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. A connector shell comprising a receiving shell configured together with the base member,
The base member includes a position defining portion that positions the ejection position of the ejection member, and the ejection member is restricted from moving away from the base member in the third direction when the ejection member is in the ejection position. And a regulation section to
Even before the cover shell is combined with the base member due to the restriction of the restricting portion, and even when the eject member is pressed toward the discharge position by the pressing member, the eject member remains the base. A connector temporarily held by a member is provided.

Moreover, this invention is a 1st connector as a 2nd connector,
The eject member has a facing surface facing the cover shell in the third direction;
The restricting portion provides a connector interposed between a part of the opposed surface of the eject member at the discharge position and the cover shell.

Moreover, this invention is a 1st or 2nd connector as a 3rd connector,
The base member includes a housing and a metal frame,
The housing has a main part for holding the contact,
The position defining portion protrudes from the main portion toward the outside in the second direction,
The metal frame has a bottom portion extending from the main portion of the housing toward the outside in the second direction, and a side portion extending from the bottom portion in the third direction,
The eject member is slidable along the first direction in a state in which movement in the second direction is restricted by an end portion of the main portion of the housing in the second direction and the side portion of the metal frame. Arranged on the bottom of the metal frame to be
The restricting portion provides a connector configured as a part of the metal frame.

Moreover, this invention is a 3rd connector as a 4th connector,
The restricting portion provides a connector extending from the side portion toward the inside in the second direction.

Moreover, this invention is a 3rd or 4th connector as a 5th connector,
The position defining portion is formed as a part of the housing,
The eject member is formed with a cam groove,
The connector further includes a cam follower having one end rotatably held by the position defining portion and the other end inserted into the cam groove.
The restricting portion provides a connector provided so that the other end does not interfere with the cam follower rotated by following the cam groove as the eject member moves in the first direction.

Moreover, this invention is a connector in any one of 1st thru | or 5 as a 6th connector,
The cover shell is provided with an erroneous insertion prevention portion for preventing insertion of the card in a state where either one or both of the front and back sides and the front and rear sides of the card are wrong,
The erroneous insertion preventing portion provides a connector located on a side opposite to a position where the eject member is provided in the second direction.

Moreover, this invention is a 6th connector as a 7th connector,
The cover shell is obtained by bending an intermediate member obtained by pressing a single metal plate,
The erroneous insertion preventing portion provides a connector formed such that a portion corresponding to the edge of the intermediate member faces the opening side of the receiving portion.

Moreover, this invention is a 6th or 7th connector as an 8th connector,
The erroneous insertion prevention unit provides a connector configured to be soldered to a board on which the connector is mounted.

Further, the present invention is any one of the first to eighth connectors as the ninth connector,
The card has a first surface on which a contact portion that contacts the contact is formed, a second surface that is a back surface of the first surface, and a side surface.
The connector is an overhanging portion that protrudes into the receiving portion in the second direction, and prevents the contact portion of the card from being short-circuited inside the connector by being applied to the side surface of the card. Has an overhang,
The end portion of the overhang portion that is farther from the cover shell in the third direction is the first surface in the third direction even when the second surface of the card is pressed against the cover shell. And a connector located more than the cover shell.

Moreover, this invention is a 9th connector as a 10th connector,
The end portion of the overhang portion is separated from the first surface of the card by 0.1 mm or more in the third direction even when the second surface of the card is pressed against the cover shell. Provide a connector.

Furthermore, the present invention is the ninth or tenth connector as the eleventh connector,
The overhang provides a connector formed as part of the cover shell.

  The base member of the present invention is provided with a restricting portion that restricts the ejection member from separating from the base member in the third direction (card thickness direction: height direction) when the ejection member is in the ejection position. Due to the restriction of the restricting portion, even before the cover shell is combined with the base member and the eject member is pressed to the discharge position by the pressing member, the eject member is temporarily held by the base member. Become. Therefore, according to the present invention, the cover shell can be assembled to the base member without worrying about the ejection member being detached.

It is a perspective view which shows the connector and card | curd by embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connector of FIG. It is a top view which shows the connector of FIG. However, the cover shell is not attached. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the connector of FIG. 3 along the line IV--IV. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an assembly process of the connector of FIG. 3. It is a top view which shows the connector of FIG. The illustrated connector receives a card. It is an expansion perspective view which shows a part of connector of FIG. FIG. 7 is a top view showing a part of the cover shell of the connector of FIG. 6 in a transparent manner. It is an enlarged view which shows a part of connector of FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 9. It is an enlarged front view which shows the connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the eject member used for the connector of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connector of patent document 1. FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connector of patent document 2. FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, connector 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is connected to card 500, and contacts 110 and 111 made of a conductor, and a base for holding contacts 110 and 111. A member 120; an eject member 150 made of an insulator; a metal cam follower 164; a pressing member 170 housed in the base member 120; and a metal cover shell 180 attached to the base member 120 from above. Yes. The base member 120 and the cover shell 180 constitute a receiving portion 102 having an opening 104 at an end in the X direction (first direction) and receiving the card 500 through the opening 104. The opening 104 has a long side in the Y direction (second direction) and a short side in the Z direction (third direction). The card 500 according to the present embodiment is a microSIM, and as best shown in FIG. 11, the card 500 has a lower surface (first surface) 510, an upper surface (second surface) 520, and a side surface 530. A contact portion 515 that contacts the contact 110 is formed on the lower surface 510. Further, the card 500 has an asymmetric shape as shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the contacts 110 and 111 have spring portions 112 and 113 that can be elastically deformed, and contact portions 114 and 115 that are supported by the spring portions 112 and 113 so as to be displaceable. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base member 120 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 130 made of an insulator and a metal frame 140. In the present embodiment, the metal frame 140 is incorporated into the housing 130 by the insert molding method when the housing 130 is molded. Similarly, the contacts 110 and 111 described above are arranged to be held by the housing 130 when the housing 130 is molded.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 130 includes a substantially flat main portion 132 and a position defining portion 136 that protrudes outward from an end portion 134 of the main portion 132 in the Y direction. As will be described later, the position defining portion 136 defines one of the movement limit positions of the eject member 150 (discharge position). The position defining portion 136 is formed with a hole-shaped bearing portion 138 that is recessed in the −Z direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the metal frame 140 includes a bottom portion 142 extending from the main portion 132 of the housing 130 toward the outside in the Y direction, and a side portion 144 extending from the bottom portion 142 toward the + Z direction (upward). And a restricting portion 146 extending inward in the Y direction from a part of the side portion 144. The bottom 142 has a plate shape having a long side in the X direction and a short side in the Y direction. A similar metal frame is also provided on the opposite side of the housing 130 in the Y direction. However, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, basically only those with reference numerals are attached. Explain.

  The eject member 150 according to the present embodiment is supported by the base member 120 so as to be movable between a discharge position (see FIG. 3) and a deepest position (see FIG. 8). The eject member 150 is maintained in the receiving position (see FIG. 6) in a state where the card 500 is received in the receiving portion 102. The receiving position is between the discharge position and the innermost position, and is located further than the innermost position. That is, when the card 500 is received and the eject member 150 is in the receiving position, if the card 500 is further pushed along the insertion direction (+ X direction), the eject member 150 can move to the innermost position. ing.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, the eject member 150 includes a slide portion 152 that slides on the bottom portion 142 of the metal frame 140, and one end in the X direction of the slide portion 152 from the inside in the Y direction. And a protruding extruded portion 156.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the movement of the slide portion 152 in the Y direction is restricted by the end portion 134 of the main portion 132 of the housing 130 and the side portion 144 of the metal frame 140. Therefore, the slide part 152 is movable along the X direction. As shown in FIG. 3, when the eject member 150 is in the discharge position, the slide portion 152 is in contact with the position defining portion 136. Therefore, the eject member 150 does not move in the discharge direction (−X direction) beyond the discharge position. As can be understood from FIGS. 2, 3, and 12, the upper surface of the eject member 150 (that is, the surface facing the cover shell 180 in the Z direction: the facing surface) 154 is used to implement a push-push mechanism. A heart cam-shaped cam groove 162 is formed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the restricting portion 146 of the metal frame 140 is located on the upper surface 154 of the eject member 150 in the discharge position. That is, in a state where the cover shell 180 is attached to the base member 120, the restricting portion 146 is interposed between a part of the upper surface 154 of the eject member 150 at the discharge position and the cover shell 180. The restricting portion 146 restricts the upward movement (+ Z direction) of the eject member 150 at the discharge position (that is, movement away from the base member 120 in the Z direction).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pushing portion 156 projects into the receiving portion 102. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, the pushing portion 156 has a pushing surface 158 that is orthogonal to the + X direction that is the insertion direction of the card 500. As is understood from FIGS. 1 and 3, the pushing surface 158 faces the opening 104 side of the receiving portion 102, and when the card 500 is received by the receiving portion 102, the insertion direction is determined by the tip of the card 500. A force toward (+ X direction) is received from the card 500. On the other hand, when the ejection member 150 moves in the discharging direction (−X direction) which is the reverse direction of the insertion direction in a state where the card 500 is received in the receiving portion 102, the pushing surface 158 of the pushing portion 156 becomes the card. The tip of 500 is pushed out in the discharge direction. As a result, the card 500 is discharged from the receiving unit 102.

  As best shown in FIG. 3, a metal cam follower 164 is provided so as to straddle the eject member 150 and the position defining portion 136. The cam follower 164 has a U-shape in which a short line extends in parallel from both ends of the long line. One end of the cam follower 164 is rotatably held by the bearing portion 138 of the position defining portion 136, and the other end is inserted into the cam groove 162 of the eject member 150. That is, the other end of the cam follower 164 can move in the cam groove 162 as the eject member 150 moves along the X direction. When the other end of the cam follower 164 moves in the cam groove 162, the cam follower 164 rotates around one end. The restricting portion 146 according to the present embodiment is provided so as not to interfere with the cam follower 164 even if the cam follower 164 rotates. Therefore, as can be understood from FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the restricting portion 146 and the cam follower 164 can be arranged at the same level in the Z direction, and the height of the connector 100 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressing member 170 according to the present embodiment is a coiled spring, and when the load is applied, the rear wall of the base member 120 (the back wall in the insertion direction). ) 122 and the eject member 150. For this reason, the pressing member 170 always presses the eject member 150 toward the discharge position in the X direction. The pressing member 170, the cam groove 162, and the cam follower 164 constitute a push-push mechanism, and play a role of maintaining the eject member 150 in the receiving position when the card 500 is received in the receiving portion 102.

  The eject member 150 at the discharge position is pressed against the position defining portion 136 by the pressing member 170. This is the same as the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In this case, a portion of the eject member 150 that is pressed by the pressing member 170 receives a force toward the upper side (+ Z direction), that is, a force that can be moved away from the base member 120 in the Z direction. Due to such force, in the case of the connector of Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, the eject member may be detached from the base member until the cover shell is attached. In the case of the connector 100 according to the present embodiment, Such a problem has been solved.

  Specifically, in the assembly process of the connector 100, as shown in FIG. 5A, the eject member 150 is mounted on the base member 120, and as shown in FIG. After moving to the discharging position, as shown in FIG. 5C, the cam follower 164 is attached, and as shown in FIG. 5D, the pressing member 170 is attached, and then the base member 120 is moved. A cover shell 180 is attached.

  In the case of the connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the restricting portion 146 is provided on the base member 120 of the connector 100 according to the present embodiment even before the cover shell 180 is attached as shown in FIGS. Since the movement of the eject member 150 at the discharge position in the Z direction is restricted, the eject member 150 is not detached from the base member 120 to the + Z side. That is, according to the present embodiment, before the cover shell 180 is combined with the base member 120 due to the restriction of the restriction portion 146, the eject member 150 is pressed toward the discharge position by the pressing member 170. Even so, the eject member 150 is temporarily held by the base member 120. Therefore, according to the connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the cover shell 180 can be easily assembled to the base member 120.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the cover shell 180 includes a substantially flat main portion 182 that forms the receiving portion 102 together with the main portion 132 of the housing 130, and a lower side (−Z And a side portion 186 extending in the direction). The main portion 182 is formed with a pressing portion 184 that extends in a cantilevered manner toward the diagonally forward lower side (the combined direction of the −Z direction and the + X direction). The pressing portion 184 presses the cam follower 164 from the upper side (+ Z side) in a state where the cover shell 180 is assembled to the base member 120, thereby preventing the cam follower 164 from coming off the cam groove 162. .

  As described above, the card 500 has an asymmetric shape (see FIGS. 1 and 8). Due to the asymmetric shape of the card 500, when the card 500 is received in the receiving unit 102 in the correct orientation, a region 106 where the card 500 does not reach is present on the far side in the X direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the portion corresponding to the region 106 of the main portion 182, that is, the side opposite to the side where the eject member 150 is provided in the Y direction and the back side in the insertion direction (+ X An erroneous insertion preventing portion 190 is formed at a site located on the side). That is, the cover shell 180 has a misinsertion prevention portion 190. Thus, by providing the erroneous insertion preventing portion 190 separately from the eject member 150, the pushing surface 158 of the pushing portion 156 can be directed to the opening 104 side of the receiving portion 102 as described above. Therefore, a force can be efficiently applied from the eject member 150 to the card 500 during the card 500 ejection operation.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the cover shell 180 is obtained by bending an intermediate member obtained by pressing a single metal plate, and the erroneous insertion preventing portion 190 is formed on the edge of the intermediate member. A corresponding portion 192 (that is, a stamped end face) is formed so as to face the opening 104 side of the receiving portion 102. More specifically, the erroneous insertion prevention unit 190 according to the present embodiment has a substantially L-shaped cross section in the YZ plane (a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction (X direction)). By doing so, the strength of the erroneous insertion prevention unit 190 can be increased. Therefore, when the card 500 is about to be erroneously inserted, the card 500 and the erroneous insertion prevention unit 190 interfere with each other. Incorrect insertion of the card 500 can be prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the erroneous insertion prevention unit 190 is fixed on the substrate by soldering or the like when the connector 100 is mounted and fixed on the substrate (not shown). Therefore, the erroneous insertion prevention unit 190 according to the present embodiment has high strength, and can stop the complete insertion of the card 500 when the card 500 is erroneously inserted.

  As best shown in FIG. 11, the contact portion 515 of the card 500 may reach the side surface 530. In such a case, it is necessary to avoid the contact portion 515 coming into contact with a conductor other than the contacts 110 and 111 that are the original contact targets. Here, the contact portion 515 of the card 500 is in contact with the contact portions 114 and 115 of the contacts 110 and 111, whereby the card 500 is directed upward (+ Z side) by the spring portions 112 and 113 of the contacts 110 and 111. Pushed up. When the card 500 is located at the uppermost position (+ Z side), the upper surface 520 of the card 500 is pressed against the cover shell 180. In this state, the contact portion 515 of the card 500 may come into contact (short circuit) in the side portion 186 of the cover shell 180, a part of the base member 120, or the like.

  In order to prevent such contact (short circuit), as shown in FIGS. 6 to 11, the cover shell 180 according to the present embodiment is further provided with a protruding portion 194. The projecting portion 194 is located on the side opposite to the side where the eject member 150 is provided, and projects from the side portion 186 of the cover shell 180 toward the inside of the receiving portion 102 in the Y direction. When the card 500 is received by the receiving portion 102, the overhang portion 194 is applied to the side surface 530 of the card 500, thereby preventing the contact portion 515 from contacting the cover shell 180 or the like. In order to prevent such a short circuit, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper surface 520 of the card 500 is pressed against the main portion 182 of the cover shell 180, and the lower end (end portion) 196 of the overhang portion 194 is Compared with the lower surface (first surface) 510 on which the contact portion 515 is formed, the contact portion 515 is located above the main portion 182 of the cover shell 180 (that is, on the upper side (+ Z side)). In other words, the overhang portion 194 is located away from the lower surface (first surface) 510 where the contact portion 515 is formed in the Z direction. In particular, in the present embodiment, in order to ensure short circuit prevention, the lower end 196 of the overhang portion 194 is in the Z direction in the state where the upper surface 520 of the card 500 is pressed against the cover shell 180. It is separated from the lower surface 510 by 0.1 mm or more. Therefore, even if the contact portion 515 is slightly wound up to the side surface 530, the connector 100 according to the present embodiment can avoid an unintended short circuit.

  As described above, the connector of the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the restricting portion 146 is a part of the metal frame 140, but may be provided separately from the metal frame 140. The restricting portion 146 is provided on the upper surface 154 of the eject member 150. For example, a groove extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the side surface of the eject member 150, and the restricting portion 146 is slid along the X direction in the groove. It is good also as accommodating so that it may become possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the position defining portion 136 is formed as a part of the housing 130. However, the position defining portion 136 may be formed as a part of the metal frame 140, or may be formed using another member. Also good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the overhang portion 194 is formed as a part of the cover shell 180, but may be formed as a part of the base member 120 or the like.

  The present invention can be applied to a connector connected to a card such as a micro SIM card as in the above-described embodiment, and also applied to a connector connected to a card such as an SD (Secure Digital memory) card or a microSD card. be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Connector 102 Receiving part 104 Opening 106 Area | region 110,111 Contact 112,113 Spring part 114,115 Contact part 120 Base member 122 Rear wall 130 Housing 132 Main part 134 End part 136 Position-defining part 138 Bearing part 140 Metal frame 142 Bottom part 144 Side portion 146 Restriction portion 150 Eject member 152 Slide portion 154 Upper surface (opposing surface)
156 Extruding portion 158 Extruding surface 162 Cam groove 164 Cam follower 170 Pressing member 180 Cover shell 182 Main portion 184 Pressing portion 186 Side portion 190 Incorrect insertion preventing portion 192 Site (end surface)
194 Overhang 196 Lower end (end)
500 card 510 bottom surface (first surface)
515 Contact portion 520 Upper surface (second surface)
530 side

Claims (11)

A base member;
A contact held by the base member;
An eject member supported by the base member so as to be movable between a discharge position and a receiving position along a first direction;
A pressing member that presses the eject member toward the discharge position in the first direction;
The card is received through an opening which is combined with the base member and has a length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a short side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. A connector shell comprising a receiving shell configured together with the base member,
The base member includes a position defining portion that positions the ejection position of the ejection member, and the ejection member is restricted from moving away from the base member in the third direction when the ejection member is in the ejection position. And a regulation section to
Even before the cover shell is combined with the base member due to the restriction of the restricting portion, and even when the eject member is pressed toward the discharge position by the pressing member, the eject member remains the base. A connector that is temporarily held by a member. The connector according to claim 1,
The eject member has a facing surface facing the cover shell in the third direction;
The restricting portion is a connector interposed between a part of the facing surface of the eject member at the discharge position and the cover shell. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The base member includes a housing and a metal frame,
The housing has a main part for holding the contact,
The position defining portion protrudes from the main portion toward the outside in the second direction,
The metal frame has a bottom portion extending from the main portion of the housing toward the outside in the second direction, and a side portion extending from the bottom portion in the third direction,
The eject member is slidable along the first direction in a state in which movement in the second direction is restricted by an end portion of the main portion of the housing in the second direction and the side portion of the metal frame. Arranged on the bottom of the metal frame to be
The restricting portion is a connector configured as a part of the metal frame. The connector according to claim 3, wherein
The restricting portion is a connector extending from the side portion toward the inside in the second direction. The connector according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein
The position defining portion is formed as a part of the housing,
The eject member is formed with a cam groove,
The connector further includes a cam follower having one end rotatably held by the position defining portion and the other end inserted into the cam groove.
The restricting portion is a connector provided so as not to interfere with the cam follower that rotates when the other end follows the cam groove as the eject member moves in the first direction. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The cover shell is provided with an erroneous insertion prevention portion for preventing insertion of the card in a state where either one or both of the front and back sides and the front and rear sides of the card are wrong,
The erroneous insertion preventing portion is a connector located on the opposite side to the position where the eject member is provided in the second direction. The connector according to claim 6, wherein
The cover shell is obtained by bending an intermediate member obtained by pressing a single metal plate,
The erroneous insertion preventing portion is a connector formed such that a portion corresponding to the edge of the intermediate member faces the opening side of the receiving portion. The connector according to claim 6 or 7, wherein
The erroneous insertion prevention unit is configured to be soldered to a board on which the connector is mounted. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The card has a first surface on which a contact portion that contacts the contact is formed, a second surface that is a back surface of the first surface, and a side surface.
The connector is an overhanging portion that protrudes into the receiving portion in the second direction, and prevents the contact portion of the card from being short-circuited inside the connector by being applied to the side surface of the card. Has an overhang,
The end portion of the overhang portion that is farther from the cover shell in the third direction is the first surface in the third direction even when the second surface of the card is pressed against the cover shell. A connector that is located closer to the cover shell than the cover shell. The connector according to claim 9, wherein
The end portion of the overhang portion is separated from the first surface of the card by 0.1 mm or more in the third direction even when the second surface of the card is pressed against the cover shell. connector. The connector according to claim 9 or 10, wherein
The overhang portion is a connector formed as a part of the cover shell.

Images